Last Letter of Ensign Setsurō Asou to His Mother

At 1413 on April 29, 1945, Ensign Setsurō Asou took off
from Kanoya Air Base and died in a special (suicide) east of the northern end of
Okinawa at the age of 24. He was a member of the 4th Tsukuba Special Attack
Squadron. He flew a Zero fighter carrying a 250-kg bomb. He was from Fukuoka
Prefecture and was a student at Waseda University [1]. He was a member of the 14th
Class of the Navy's Flight Reserve Students.

He wrote the following final letter:

Dear Mother,

The season of spring green has arrived. I trust that you are doing well.

I was relieved after deciding about Takako. There was a letter of consent
from my older brother Koga. In the quick reply, I wrote that I think that it
is best to do as soon as possible.

The fighting has become more and more intense, and astounding deeds
surely have arrived. I am living only for an eternal cause.

There is no way
to apologize repeatedly to you for my lack of filial piety.

Please open the sealed letter that I left at the household shrine on the
occasion when I entered the Navy the year before last. Together with it,
there is a diary that I wrote in those days.

I am praying that you take good care of yourself and that you have good
health for many years in the future.

Finally, I want to tell you that there is nothing related to money loans
and women.

Please tell Shiroto and Matsu also that I am praying that they will enjoy
happiness for many more years.

Please tell everyone in the neighborhood association that I request them
to please accept my apologies.